PROJECT REDIRECT: RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT through DESIGNED INTERVENTIONS for REFORM and EFFECTIVENESS in a CONSTRUCTIVIST TECHNIQUE): A WAY TO MAKE ACTION RESEARCH ALIVE IN KCS Airene Orion-Suan aireneosuan@gmail.com Master Teacher I/School Research Coordinator, Kauswagan Central School Region X, Division of Cagayan de Oro City 2nd Place, Division Research Congress CI-Based Oral Research Presentation Category-Governance ABSTRACT This action research sought to determine the outcome of a designed intervention strategies in constructivist approach that would increase the number of teachers conducting action research and the quality of teachers’ research outputs at Kauswagan Central School, Cagayan de Oro City and examine instructional situations that accelerated teachers’ engagement to make research more responsive and engaging. Mixed methods of research were used; data were collected using the methodological triangulation technique: survey, observation and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The findings of the pre-intervention showed that majority of the factors that contribute to the drawbacks of teachers’ research culture were lack of thorough knowledge and skills in carrying out action research, limited time and resources during In-service trainings for one on one training and mentoring, time constraint in conducting action research, lackadaisical support and extrinsic rewards and absence of a designated monitoring action research coordinator. Hence, integrated intervention strategies--practical inquiry and guided learning practice in the form of LAC Sessions, Workshops, “Mentoring the Mentors Approach” and instructional monitoring and supervision as the implemented activities of PROJECT REDIRECT in KCS were introduced. The results of the study show that the intervention is effective and operative because there is an increased in the number or percentage of teachers conducting action research and improvement in the research outputs of the teachers. It is recommended that the school administrator, school planning team and school research coordinator should establish and strengthen Action Research LAC Sessions, Workshops with thorough monitoring and supervision. Hence, it is encouraged that Master Teachers must implement “Mentoring the Mentors” also to improve the culture of research in the school. Keywords: education, action research, constructivism, practical inquiry, workshops, LAC ( Learning Action Cell) sessions
A number of District and School- Based in-service trainings, seminars and workshops on CI (Continuous Improvement) Based Action Research have been conducted in North II District particularly in Kauswagan Central School for the past three years. School records showed only 2 (3.33%) out of 60 teachers including the researcher herself conducted and presented action researches, thus 58 (96.67%) do not have action research even if it is included in the rating and evaluation of IPCRF. The whole
data awakened the researcher as new master teacher and the designated SRC (School Research Coordinator) to find out what hinders the KCS teachers to conduct action research even after several In-Service trainings were conducted. Results from Interview, Focused –Group – Discussion and Survey showed the factors that contribute to the drawbacks of teachers research culture such as lack of thorough knowledge and skills in carrying out research and constraints of heavy workload and time and number of daily preparations in school, besides the lackadaisical support and extrinsic. These data challenged the researcher to formulate and implement Action Research Intervention Program called– Project REDIRECT (Research Enhancers
and Development
Innovators for Reform and Effectiveness in Curriculum and Teaching)
in KCS
focusing the implementation of 3 intervention strategies :LAC sessions and workshops, Mentoring the Mentors Approach, DORAS’ Reward System (Do Online Research And Share & be rewarded). The outcome, 50 out of the 60 teachers enrolled themselves in the Project REDIRECT, 10 out of the 50 teachers submitted action research proposals and out of the 10 teachers, 2 had presented its full action research result in the North II District Research Congress. PROJECT REDIRECT in KCS as an Action Research Intervention Program is effective, functional and a contributory intervention that ignite teachers’ positive perception towards conducting Action Research which help improved the Research Culture in Kauswagan Central School.